Dare to make your dreams come true. The journey starts with a single step!

My bite of the big apple – NYC

Concrete jungle where dreams are made ofThere’s nothing you can’t do. Now you’re in New York, These streets will make you feel brand new Big lights will inspire you… (Alicia Keys)

I am standing in the middle of the big city life jungle, just watching everything and everyone rush by, and I feel alive. I`m in New York. Such an amazing feeling to just look up and feel the power of the skyscrapers drag you into a different “empire state of mind”.

There are a few things, visiting New York, that you can do to make your stay even more special and most of all, affordable. Here are my tips on how to enjoy New York like a smart traveler:

#1: the sky is the limit

The first question arising in my mind when I enter Manhattan is: how can I, as fast as possible, see this city from above. The most normal answer would be: go to the top of the Empire State building. But my advise is: go to the top of the Rockefeller Center! From there, you see much more of Manhattan and you have the Empire State building and the Chrysler building in front of you and not behind you, which provides you the best Manhattan view ever. Buy your ticket in advance to make sure that you`re able to enter on the day that you want.

Beautiful view from the “Top of the Rock”

#2: the liberty of the water

One cannot be in NYC without taking a boat trip. If it`s not absolutely necesary for you to actually visit the Statue of Liberty, a good way of having an amazing boat experience, is taking the Staten Island Ferry. It takes 25 minutes one way and the ride is for free. You can go back and forth – having an incredible view of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn. My special tip: take the ferry when the sun is setting in the afternoon, the Skyline will look like its on fire.

The Staten Island Ferry provides the best view of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Statue of Liberty

#3: in search of unknown alternatives

After visiting New York several times, I wanted to discover something new that I hadn`t seen before. This time, my hotel happened to be situated in West Village, which for me turned out to be a great discovery. Make sure to visit the High Line (former train tracks turned into a nice green area) and the Chelsea Market. A great number of wonderful restaurant are lined up like pearls on a row, and the atmosphere is very different from uptown and downtown. The LGBT community is flowering here, which also is fascinating for someone coming from the outside.

This is one thing I really love about NYC, you can be who you are and dress how you like – you`ll just be considered cool or fashionable..or crazy, but in a good way.

A small market place inside the Chelsea MarketDelicacies at the Chelsea Market – impossible to resist!

#4: dare to get lost

Some cities are not good to get lost in, but some cities are just waiting for you to wander off and be an adventurer. I took the ride to Brooklyn (because I missed my stop with the subway), and discovered the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and some parts of Brooklyn that I had never seen before. What a view! Then, I walked back over the Brooklyn Bridge and it took about a half an hour (and was very nice, even though very crowded).

Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge seen from BrooklynWalking across the Brooklyn BridgeBeautiful bay view with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop

Some things to be aware of when visiting NYC:

– the hotels are generally really expensive and the hotel rooms mostly much smaller then in other big cities in the States.

– when you read “continental breakfast”, don`t expect a continental breakfast as we know it in Europe or from other parts of the world. This will typically just be cereals, bagels with cream cheese, pastries and, if you`re lucky, some fruits. I read a lot of hotel reviews where people complain about the breakfast, but this is just something one needs to know before going there to adjust the expectations.

– NYC (especially uptown) is loud! If you have a hotel room with absolutely no noise, this is luck. For me, this is just a part of being in NY. If you are sensitive to noise when sleeping, make sure to buy earplugs.

– Life in NYC is fast! People walk around fast, they want you to be efficient when ordering and there is not a lot of patience. But, this is not necessarily rudeness, it`s just a part of the city culture. Most people are still very nice, though.

This is a city that I absolutely love, and I will never get tired of seeing the same things over and over again. There is always something to discover and I can truly say – it is one of my favorite cities in the U.S.

Thank you to my travel companion this time, my wonderful husband. It was great being on the road with you!

Dare to make your dreams come true – the journey starts with a single step!

NY is such a unique city! I absolutely agree on the Rockefeller Center! Back when we visited my husband insisted on visiting the Empire State building as well, and I was so mad at him cause we waisted so much time on lines there while the view from the Rockefeller Center was even better! #feetdotravel

Love this! We stayed in Chelsea for the first time this summer, and really enjoyed the location. We could have gone to Chelsea Market every day! But, there is so much to explore in the city, we ended up only going a couple of times. Those views from Brooklyn Heights are just fantastic, too. Thanks for sharing your highlights! We loved ’em!

I do love a few days in New York. There’s so much to see and do. The Botanical Gardens in the Bronx always has incredible exhibitions going and is such a contrast to the streets and hustle of Manhattan. So much happening in DUMBO & Greenpoint too. Hmmm, you’ve got me thinking now. It might be time to return to New York. LOL. 😉

Impressions

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The first view arriving with the bus from the airport – absolutely stunning!

Pure relaxation with the girls. For me, nature is the best mediation there is!

When your`re home you can just be yourself, let it all go, be free. You become a little girl, week and strong, you get power to move on, power to handle anything coming your way. This is the place that gives me all this and my dream is to pass this on to my daughter. I love you, Josie!

This beach called “Taen” was one of my childhood playgrounds.

Only a 30-40 minutes walk up the mountains and you have this view! The mountains in the back are the famous Lofoten Islands!

A typical flower in the summer named “Geitrams” (am. fireweed)

The midnight sun lights up the Norwegian summer in the north and caresses people all night with is gentle rays of sunlight.

The Bellagio Las Vegas

Freedom!

One of my favorite trees – the Palm tree!

Fabulous Las Vegas

Water show at the Bellagio

“Little Paris”

NIKE in front of the Caesars Palace

Friendly tree-face!

Pure Norwegian nature

Colorful art on a wall – Valparaiso

Hadsel

The Grand Canyon from the shores of the Colorado River (helicopter photo break)

A guitar handbag!

Don`t fall!

The famous Skywalk!

Me and Wilfred

Luxury shopping on the Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills (known from “Pretty Woman”)

Sunset

Creative way of making money

Cali!

Charlotte at the Universal Studios

The sand and the ocean have similar “waves”

It is not hard to understand why its called Surfers Paradise!

It cannot get more golden than this – the Golden Coast!

The Australian beaches and the ocean blow you away with their beauty!

Good friends in front of the Tower Bridge!

London Graffiti and Street Art

The Frozen Yogurt Bus – sweet!

Suddenly we ended up at the Festival of Love (Southbank)!

Wonderful Brighton!

The romantic Rhine Valley!

The cable car in Rüdesheim on the Rhine

Medieval Nürnberg

Wine tasting tour of the Eberbach Abbey near Eltville

Barcelona seen from Park Güell

A bubble fairy tail

Park Güell

Park Güell

Sagrada Familia

Beautiful statue on Plaça de Catalunya

The Staten Island Ferry provides the best view of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Statue of Liberty

Delicacies at the Chelsea Market – impossible to resist!

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

A small market place inside the Chelsea Market

Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge seen from Brooklyn

Beautiful bay view with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop

Beautiful view from the “Top of the Rock”

A typical NYC yellow cab

Hustle and bustle on Times Square – fascinating place!

Central Park

One Lovely Blog Award for Charlotteontheroad.com

Greetings from the Heidelberger Christmas market – a typical heart made of “Lebkuchen”

The Christmas magic fills you (if you want it or not:-) on the Christmas market!

Glas handcraft

There is no better backdrop for a Christmas market then the historical Heidelberg Castle!

Ice-skating is one of the activities one can attend between the meals!

Christmas magic in the “Altstadt” of Heidelberg!

The historic and dignified “Grand Hotel” in the city center was home to a number of important people visiting Oslo. Visit the hotels restaurant for at least coffee and cake to soak in the flair of the hotel.

Enjoy the view over the fjord called “Oslofjorden”.

The City Hall of Oslo (close to Aker Brygge and Akershus Festning).

The Royal Castle is situated on the top of the hill with a wonderful view of the main shopping street, Karl Johan, If the flag is up – the king is home!

Aker Brygge is a dream in the summer. You sit down, drink a glass of white wine accompanied with fresh shrimps bought directly from the ships. In the wintertime it is perfect for a stroll or for visiting one of the many restaurants lined up along the shore. This is also where you take the boat of you want to visit the island “Nesodden” (you can take the boat back and forth to see Oslo from the ocean, a great experience).

The norwegian designers behind “Moods of Norway” have opened their “Super Duper Store”s all over the world. But is there anything cooler then visiting a “Super Duper Store” in Norway? My answer is no.

The New Opera & Ballet is an architectural wonder and you can walk up on the roof, seeing the building from different angles. In the summer, there are concerts and events taking place on the roof.

Yohooo – I`m in Oslo!

The New Opera & Ballet and a frozen “Oslo Fjord” – true winter magic!

Oslo is developing fast, and new and exciting architecture is spreading. These building are situated close to the New Opera and the Main Station.

The Parlament is an important place for the country and can be visited by guests on certain days.

The stronghold “Akershus Festning” is situated right next to Aker Brygge, providing a beautiful view over the fjord and telling an important history about the nations development over the last 700 years.

This beautiful building – a hallmark of the city – was a nice view having Beignets at the Cafe du Monde just across the street.

New Orleans is full of music. These guys were really good and check out the little one – just adorable!

A cigar maker at the “New Orleans Cigar factory”!

A Bourbon glow!

A cool street musician playing in front of the famous Cafe du Monde!

The underground music bars were my favorites!

This was as close as I got to an alligator on the trip – but it was small and cute, so it was ok. I would have preferred to see him running wild, though!

The steam boats just fascinated me completely – they are beautiful!

The surroundings of the Westin Hotel are perfect for walks and relaxation. On my little walk I met numbers of suricates entertaining me on the way. Amazing!

A one and a half hour drive from Denver, you find Estes Park. Even though this is a touristy area, it is a great experience. This water wheel was a hidden treasure that I found in a side street. It is definitely worth the drive!

This zig-zag road is a beautiful view from above – just not as thrilling going down the same road with a tour bus. But hey, no risk – no fun!

On the top of the hill, from the Buffalo Bill Museum, you ave a great view over the whole valley below.

This amazing feather headdress was worn by Iron Tail, a friend of Buffalo Bill. It is to be seen in the Buffalo Bill Museum (Lookout Mountain Park, situated approx. 40 min. from Denver), as one of many jewels from this time.

These boots, worn by Buffalo Bill himself, are the coolest boots I have ever seen. Respect! (To be seen in the Buffalo Bill Museum)

Long live American (sign photographed in Estes Park)!

Seating over 9.000 people, the Red Rock Open Air Theater is famous for its wonderful acoustic and once-in-a-lifetime musical experiences. The huge red rocks on each side (ship -and creation rock) create a powerful and impressive surrounding for the magic.

The boss himself – Buffalo Bill!

Even though not living free, the buffalos are powerful and wild through their appearance. To actually see these animals was an incredible experience and the whole history of the buffalos ran through my head when observing them.

Me ready for my facial. Make-up removal is part of the treatment, so come as you are!